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The Arabic Mood and Feelings Questionnaire: Psychometrics and Validity in a Clinical Sample

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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to provide clinicians in the Arab World with a child and adolescent depression screening tool. Child and parent versions of the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (CMFQ and PMFQ respectively) were translated to Arabic and administered along with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) to 30 children and adolescents and with mood disorders and 76 children and adolescents with other psychiatric disorders seeking treatment at a child and adolescent psychiatry clinic. DSM-IV diagnoses were generated through clinical interviews by a psychiatrist blinded to self-reports. Internal consistency for both versions was excellent with moderate inter-informant agreement and good convergent validity with the SDQ emotional symptoms subscales on the child and parent forms. The CMFQ and PMFQ significantly differentiated between currently depressed participants and those with other psychiatric disorders. CMFQ scores were a stronger predictor of categorization into depressed and non-depressed groups than the PMFQ. Two modes of cutoffs were calculated with one favoring sensitivity (a score of 26 for the CMFQ and 22 for the PMFQ) and another favoring specificity (a score of 31 for the CMFQ and 28 for the PMFQ).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, American University of Beirut Medical Center, POBox 11-0236, Riad El Solh, Beirut, 11072020, Lebanon

    Lucy Tavitian, Mia Atwi, Nayla Hariz, Pia Zeinoun, Munir Khani & Fadi T. Maalouf

  2. Department of Psychology, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

    Soha Bawab

  3. Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Fadi T. Maalouf

Authors
  1. Lucy Tavitian
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  2. Mia Atwi
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  3. Soha Bawab
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  4. Nayla Hariz
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  5. Pia Zeinoun
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  6. Munir Khani
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  7. Fadi T. Maalouf
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Correspondence to Fadi T. Maalouf.

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Tavitian, L., Atwi, M., Bawab, S. et al. The Arabic Mood and Feelings Questionnaire: Psychometrics and Validity in a Clinical Sample. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 45, 361–368 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-013-0406-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-013-0406-6

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